boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Alister

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,689 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#1,689
among boys · ↓39 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
97
named Alister · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,609
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
141 babies
All-time total
1,664
#3,706 all-time among boys
First recorded
1924
in Social Security records

Alister popularity over time

1,664 babies have been named Alister since 1924, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – 5 5 1 – #4,365
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – 48 48 5 – #4,171
1990s – 64 64 6 +33% #5,295
2000s – 170 170 17 +166% #3,553
2010s 5 736 741 74 +336% #1,510
2020s (to 2025) – 636 636 106 +43% #1,330

Where Alister is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 99 0.06 outside top 500
2027 100 0.06 outside top 500
2028 101 0.06 outside top 500
2029 102 0.06 outside top 500
2030 103 0.06 outside top 500

Where Alister is most popular

Boys named Alister per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.061 per 1,000. Strongest in Indiana, Kansas, and Texas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Alister born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Indiana 16 0.100 +63%
Kansas 5 0.073 +19%
Texas 61 0.069 +13%
California 60 0.066 +7%
Ohio 15 0.057 -8%
Wisconsin 6 0.051 -17%
North Carolina 12 0.047 -23%
Pennsylvania 12 0.045 -26%
Florida 20 0.042 -31%
Colorado 5 0.039 -37%
Washington 6 0.037 -40%
Michigan 7 0.034 -44%
Virginia 6 0.032 -48%
Georgia 5 0.020 -68%
Illinois 5 0.020 -68%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Alister

Alister is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,689 in 2025 with 97 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1924, 1,664 American babies have been named Alister. Its peak came in 2022, when 141 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alister stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alister?

The median living Alister is about 7 years old; half are between 3 and 13. An estimated 1,600 people named Alister are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Alister year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 97 #1,689
2024 – – 102 #1,650
2023 – – 99 #1,701
2022 – – 141 #1,330
2021 – – 91 #1,764
2020 – – 106 #1,556
2019 – – 93 #1,699
2018 5 #15,807 93 #1,687
2017 – – 110 #1,510
2016 – – 102 #1,599
2015 – – 82 #1,815
2014 – – 60 #2,232
2013 – – 57 #2,251
2012 – – 52 #2,416
2011 – – 57 #2,262
2010 – – 30 #3,532
2009 – – 30 #3,553
2008 – – 30 #3,564
2007 – – 22 #4,380
2006 – – 19 #4,686
2005 – – 16 #5,044
2004 – – 13 #5,825
2003 – – 12 #5,889
2002 – – 8 #7,674
2001 – – 14 #5,150
2000 – – 6 #9,137
1995 – – 7 #7,011
1990 – – 7 #6,429
1985 – – 5 #6,558
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Alister

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Alister McGrath Alister McGrath Irish Anglican priest, scientist, and academic (born 1953) Contemporary
  2. 2 Alister Hardy Alister Hardy British marine biologist (1896–1985) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Alister, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Alister?

The median living Alister is about 7 years old. Half of all living Alisters are between 3 and 13 years old.

How many people named Alister are alive today?

An estimated 1,600 people named Alister are alive in the United States, based on 1,664 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Alister in 2025?

Alister ranked #1,689 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 97 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alister?

1,664 babies have been named Alister in the United States since 1924, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alister most popular?

Alister peaked in 2022, when 141 newborns received the name.

Is Alister a boy or girl name?

Alister is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alister rising or falling?

Alister is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Alister become more popular?

Alister looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 103 boys named Alister in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alister?

Well-known people named Alister include Alister McGrath (philosopher), Alister Hardy (biologist).

Names like Alister

Names that sound and feel close to Alister: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Alister with similar names → More names starting with A →